Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless communication systems utilize multiple transmit antennas and multiple receive antennas instead of a single antenna. MIMO systems often have multiple transmitters (e.g., one associated with each transmit antenna) and multiple receivers (e.g., one associated with each receive antenna). A transceiver may modulate transmit signals and demodulate receive signals and may perform further processing of receive signals after demodulation and of transmit signals prior to modulation.
Beamforming utilizes multiple antenna elements and often a beamformer to synthesize one or more beams. Such a beamforming antenna can be called an antenna array. Each antenna element of the antenna array is typically the same type of antenna.